


Hints and Taking Them

by matheMagical



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alcohol, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Illustrarions available but not included in the text, M/M, Miscommunication, asexual but not aromantic luffy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-08-08 03:37:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7741891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matheMagical/pseuds/matheMagical
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zoro, Law and Luffy are not very good at this relationship thing. And when the least unconventional part of the relationship in question is the fact that it has three people in it, well, that doesn't make it any easier! </p><p>Here are three ficlets, each where one dork out of three has taken a little too long to realize that the three of them are something other than nakama.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Luffy (is the most oblivious dork)

Luffy really likes hanging out with Zoro and Law. They are great on their own, so cool and funny! But together they are even better. So Luffy doesn’t really mind that lately, when there has been a hangout pile on the lawn deck of the Sunny, it has been only him, Zoro and Law in the piles. But yesterday he even saw Franky, Robin and Chopper make their own pile instead of joining Luffy and his swordsmen! And that is very strange. He is a little worried they were mad at him.

 

This time the three of them are alone on deck, it’s afternoon and a crisp, dry sort of cold. The ocean is very still. Law is wearing a fluffy black sweater, and he looks so very cozy, especially with Zoro resting in his lap. They are smiling (very cool and serious smiles of course) and talking about swords. Probably. Luffy stopped listening a while ago so they might have changed the subject but it’s nice to hear their voices.

 

But then Law looks away from Zoro and meets Luffys eyes with a little smile that is actually not very cool at all but sort of. Shy, maybe.

“Why don’t you come over here too? You look cold.” That is true actually! Luffy can’t believe he wouldn’t notice that.

“Oh yeah, I’m pretty cold, wow. And your shirt looks so cozy!” That makes Law smile a little wider, shows the little lines at the corners of his mouth.

 

Luffy sits down next to him, and immediately gets tucked under one fluffy black arm. Law puts his nose in Luffys hair, and Zoro lays one rough, warm hand on his captains knee, and Luffy just feels. He feels so safe. He feels - 

 

Loved. Like, a different kind of love than nakamaship (even though he feels that as well).

 

He sits up ramrod straight and headbutts Law in the chin, but he manages to avoid slamming his hand onto the grass and messing the grass up. He slams the fist into his other hand instead.

“That’s it!” he says, and both his friends look at him with confusion. “This is like, a date activity! We are dating, somehow. That’s why the others don’t join us!”

 

Law looks away and covers his mouth, but Zoro smiles openly.

“Got a problem with that, captain?” he says, and Law makes a little sigh that is almost a coo, tugs his hat over his eyes. 

“No! Just. You need to tell me these things! I almost thought Chopper was mad at me. Don’t be so mysterious!”

 

When he leans back into Laws arms he gets almost completely wrapped up in cozy sweater, and Zoro props himself up on one arm to hug Luffy with the other.

“We were not mysterious”, says Law, kissing Luffys forehead. “We were totally obvious.”

“Yeah, you dumbass”, Zoro agreed. “Learn to take a fucking hint.”

“You learn to take a fucking hint, Zoro! About not being so mysterious!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

  
It’s a crisp kind of cold, and Zoro is warm, and Law keeps hugging Luffy while the three of them talk about hints and learning to take them until dinner is ready.


	2. Zoro (is the only one who is that wrong, but not the only one who is a bit drunk)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to [dollcewrites](http://archiveofourown.org/users/dollcewrites/pseuds/dollcewrites) for beta reading! And. Sorry to everyone for the weird grammar I am sure I put back after they found it. Art for the fic is [here](http://mathemayjicks.tumblr.com/post/149337996823/he-had-thought-they-were-all-friends-that-they)!

There is, as there often is, a party. This one is held on an island where both the Sunny and the Polar Tang have been docked since last evening. There is plenty of food and plenty of booze, and Zoro is very glad to have a distraction from his thoughts even though he would prefer right now if the distraction didn’t involve one Trafalgar Law.

 

Zoro realized it that morning, when he, Law and Luffy were hanging out in the aquarium lounge. Bepo had come down to tell Law there was something someone needed to talk to him about, and when the surgeon got up to leave Luffy had not just hugged him but kissed him firmly on the cheek, and Law had blushed and laughed and then tried to pretend like nothing. Zoro didn’t really hear what Luffy said after that.

 

He had thought they were all friends, that they were somewhat equal, but now that he knows better it is obvious that he has been butting in on their relationship all along. Law loves Luffy and Luffy loves him back and Zoro is just in the way. He knocks back the last of his glass of mystery drink, and mixes himself some more.

 

Law seemed to know approximately what Zoro felt. He’s clever, and had probably figured it out. Before dinner he had approached Zoro and asked if anything was wrong, and didn’t seem convinced when Zoro told him everything was fine. He even had the nerve to look hurt, but at least he just nodded and left after that.

 

Luffy had approached him too, but he probably had no idea why Zoro would be sad. Never in the soon to be three years that they had known each other did Luffy seem to have any clue that Zoro loved him, and had loved him right from the start. It hurt to not be loved back, but before he had at least been able to tell himself Luffy just didn’t feel that kind of love. But he apparently does, and for Law, no less. Law, who Zoro had naively thought might have been interested in him, even though he knew he would be second to Luffy in the other captains eyes. But, he could have dealt with that, because it would be mutual. Their unrequited love could have brought them together, but now it turns out it is just Zoro’s love that isn’t answered. Doubly unrequited. He finishes another glass.

 

Fuck, he is going to get drunk like this. That’s the plan, but it’s also dangerous. If his feelings get the better of him. It wouldn’t do to let anyone see how weak he is, especially not if he tried to tell someone about this whole mess. No, he just had to go away for a bit, bring a few bottles of something, and get shitfaced on a lonely beach somewhere on the little island. Maybe cry a little, and then forget all of it in the morning. It sounded like a plan.

 

The problem is just getting his hands on the booze. To do that he needs to get to the table with the drinks, right where Law and Luffy are sitting together, and be put together and sneaky enough that no one will question why he’s making off with all the rum. He is already on one and a half bottles of it, and god knows how much beer and sake, so he doesn’t completely trust himself with that simple task. Maybe he will just get back to the actual party and see how that goes. If he doesn’t think he will be able to keep it together he can just wander off, and suffer relative sobriety where he won't be disturbed. Yeah.

 

He gets up with just a little bit of swaying and leaves the docks, where a few people are drinking and keeping quiet conversation. There is a bonfire further up the beach where the actual party is going on. Usopp and Chopper are dancing on a table, Franky is telling a story very loudly to a few Heart pirates. And there are Luffy and Law, huddled together on their own and talking in hushed voices, Luffy’s legs in Law’s lap, and Law’s arm over Luffy’s shoulders.

 

Zoro is so jealous he could die; could just stop breathing there on the spot. And, maybe it is something else but maybe Luffy can feel it, because he flinches a little and looks up. Zoro turns on his heel, because if Luffy knows something is up he needs to get away quickly, but he doesn’t make it far before a blue dome extends over him, and a pretty substantial boulder is exchanged for his captain. Luffy feels like annoyance, but Zoro can’t look at his face.

 

“Oh Torao! Get over here!” _No, please. Don’t bring him into this._ But Luffy just stretches out his arm and pulls Law over with his usual amount of grace.  
“You need to talk to him too!” Luffy says, and Law stands up with an uncomfortable look on his face. He doesn’t look like he agrees.  
“I don’t think he needs to talk to me”, says Zoro.  
“Yes, you need to tell us why you’re being so mopey today! Is it about the three of us?” Zoro scoffs. He doesn’t mean to.  
“More like the two of you! I thought we were friends, but apparently I was just getting in the way.” Fuck, he is really drunk now isn’t he? Now that he is at it anyway, he takes the opportunity to glare at Law all hostile and hurt, all truthful.  
“What?” says Luffy, surprised, so much like himself it hurts. Law however glares back, makes himself tall.  
“Yes, the three of us,” Law says. “I was under the impression we were in some sort of a romantic relationship. But if I was mistaken and it was just a love triangle all along, then I’ll back off, and you won’t need to see me anymore.”

 

Zoro doesn’t quite get what he’s saying, but Law sounds angry so Zoro keeps glaring at him for good measure. Luffy groans and pushes Law aside with a hand rudely squishing his cheek.  
“Noo, why do you have to be like this! I thought you liked each other, can’t you just go back to that?”  
Law is quiet, feels like he is looking for something to say. Zoro feels bad for making Luffy sound upset like this.  
“Sorry captain, but if you and Law… if you are in a relationship, I don’t think I can stand being the third wheel with you, I just.” He has to stop, or his voice will break.

 

The other two are quiet for a while, and then Law slaps his hand over his forehead and curses under his breath, and Luffy aaws, like, like at a puppy failing to climb onto a couch. Zoro wants to punch them both in the face, scream at them to get off his fucking case already and not fucking pity him, but then—  
“No, Zoro, you aren’t any number of wheels! You are our boyfriend, aren’t you?”  
“What?”  
“Luffy, we never talked about this, it’s not his fault.” Law sounds exasperated, but Zoro isn’t really listening to him, still reeling from what Luffy said. Their boyfriend? Really? _Their?_

 

Luffy hugs him, a little too tight as always.  
“Zoro”, he says, clearly upset. “Why are you so fucking stupid?”  
“I’m not stupid, it’s you who—” and there his voice actually does break, fuck everything. He really does feel fucking stupid. Then Law is putting a hand on Zoro’s shoulder and clearing his throat.  
“May I hug you as well?” he asks. Zoro looks up at him.  
“Do you really mean that? Do you, are we like, dating, all three?”  
“Well, I thought so, but since neither of us are very, eh, affectionate, we should really have talked about it. So I guess this is, hm”, and then he stops talking to laugh a quiet wheezy laugh to himself. “Luffy, Luffy,” he says all mischievous, and whispers something in Luffy’s ear that makes him look absolutely delighted. Then they both go down on one knee (Law might also be drunk, he wobbles precariously as he does it) and reach out a hand to Zoro.

 

“Do—” Luffy begins, but is interrupted by his own laugh. Law continues, also sounding like he is about to start laughing:  
“Do you want to be our boyfriend, Zoro?”  
“Yeah,” he says. “I’d like that.”  
Luffy bounces up immediately, laughing and trapping Zoro in a full body hug. Law takes a little longer to get up, but then he wraps his long and gangly arms around both of them.

 

And then Luffy puts down his feet, grabs Zoro’s face between his hands and tugs him into a chaste but confident kiss. He feels like a big stupid idiot for being more oblivious his stupid captain, but with Luffy laughing fondly against his lips and Law petting his hair he feels like the luckiest drunken fool in all the grand line.

**Author's Note:**

> First fic on ao3 and I begin at this mindless, fluffy note... well, I feel like there is a need for more asexual zolawlu fic! Also, there is a picture to go with this [here](http://mathemayjicks.tumblr.com/post/148791721093/luffy-really-likes-hanging-out-with-zoro-and-law) on my tumblr, in a post together with the fic!


End file.
